


Love Over All

by MushFund



Category: And The Band Played On (1993 Movie)
Genre: M/M, Mentions of HIV/AIDS and homophobia, Phil Collins song references because I couldn't help myself, Takes place in San Francisco
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:55:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24290929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MushFund/pseuds/MushFund
Summary: A fanfiction for the 1993 film 'And the Band Played On'. Reader is Eddie Papasano's concerned boyfriend following the GRID crisis in San Francisco that threatens to shut down his bathhouses.
Relationships: Eddie Papasano (Phil Collins) x Reader





	1. I Don't Care Anymore

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading and I hope you'll enjoy! Once again, I'm new here to please feel free to give feedback if you spot any errors or such, I'm still getting used to the formatting, etc. 
> 
> This movie is kind of obscure for having so many great actors in it! I haven't been able to spy any other fanfiction for it, in fact. If you haven't seen it, I'd definitely advise you to.

The night sky was as blue as the deepest indigo crystal, underneath it, the beeping and flashing cars below careening through the streets as people strolled about. A few yellow street lamps and hazy lit-up advertisements reflected in bleary fractions onto the window you stared out of. It was nights like these, even amidst the chaos of the city, that made you grateful for living in San Francisco. You, hailing from a quiet realm of suburbia, felt for the first time in your life at home in the big city. You had moved there just a few years ago, following your family’s refusal to accept your sexuality, and found yourself quickly welcomed. Your life had already changed greatly in ways you could have only dreamed of: acceptance (to a degree), your own job, and your own apartment. The days of hiding and crying alone were now just painful memories, though they did still drift to your mind. Clutching a Looney Tunes themed glass of Coca-Cola, you began to ponder, as you did in the indescribable, pointless manner the human mind often drifted to, what life would have been like had you stayed. Would you have given up on life? Wound up homeless? Perhaps most frightfully, on drugs with no teeth? Hey, you needed those chompers.

“Are ye just gonna keep starin’ out there? Not much of a date night, love.”, a wry voice caught your attention back to reality. It was your boyfriend, Eddie, who had decided to stop by tonight for a relaxing evening of television watching and catching up. He was, perhaps, the one to change your life the most in your short span of time in San Francisco: your very first love.

You hadn’t ever thought you’d find love before meeting Eddie, which made you all the more grateful for your relationship. You had figured that being gay meant a lifetime of longing for someone to no avail. All of your life, you had watched as siblings and friends alike found love, leaving you bitter and miserable. When you moved to San Francisco with what money you had saved, you were surprised, but nonetheless pleased, at the burgeoning LGBT community. 

Indeed, you had met Eddie at one of the bathhouses he ran in the city. You were simply seeking some like-minded companionship when he caught your eye. With his mustache and (charmingly) thinning hair, you were smitten as soon as he met your gaze. The two of you hit it off instantly, having much in common. It wasn’t long before your relationship became committed: something Eddie himself found as a surprise.

“No, I was just thinking.”, you murmured, flopping down onto the saggy red couch beside him, your beloved black-and-white cat, Playboy, sandwiched in the middle.

“About what?”, he pressed on, pulling a cigarette out of his floral shirt pocket, “You seemed pretty distracted.”

“Well, just… about things.”, you deflected, “Stuff before I met you. Nothing to worry about.”

“Ah.”Eddie nodded simply in understanding, lighting up his cig and stretching an arm comfortably over your shoulders. You had, of course, told him about your past. It seemed inevitable, once you had entirely warmed up to him. He knew by now to not bother you about it, seeing as the shame of being rejected by your own flesh and blood still hung fresh in your mind, the type of wounds that weren’t healed by merely retreating a couple hundred miles to lick them.

You turned your attention to the television screen, recognizing it to be the local news channel airing one of their typical evening broadcasts, showcasing a generic video of scientists peering down microscopes and pointing to graphs.

“Oh, not this rubbish again.”, Eddie spat, waving a hand at the television as if the whitecoats busying about could see him.

“What rubbish?”, he had suddenly garnered your attention. Eddie was a mellow man, rarely snapping as he just did. Something had to be wrong, but he hadn’t told you about it yet.

“Oh, this… disease.”, he sighed, “Seems to be affecting gay men… they don’t know much about it yet, but they want me to shut down the bathhouses… say I’m spreading it. The very place we met, my own livelihood… my only source of income, can you believe it?”.

“That’s… not what I was expecting.”, you admitted, going silent. You had heard of this disease, dubbed GRID, unfortunately, as its presence was heavily saturated in the news. From any developments at all from harried researchers to tragic videos of patients around the world, it was unavoidable. Even worse yet, with so many members of your own community ailing and dying, it hit terribly close to home. Yet you hadn’t expected it to touch the life of the one you love the most.

“You’re silent.”, Eddie interjected between your solemn thoughts, “Don’t tell me you believe it, too. Bathhouses have been a staple of life for centuries. I mean, I read this book one time at the library, and they existed in Roman times. The ancient Romans! Bloody Julius Caesar probably loved ‘em!”, he paused for breath between his exasperated shouts, “Nobody ever got ill from them. This is just… it’s outright homophobic.”

You could immediately tell it was a sore spot of his, to say the very least. You contemplated a response with the hope of placating your lover, yet also being honest. While you didn’t know much about the role of the bathhouses in possibly spreading GRID, you knew it was a meeting spot nonetheless.

“I’m sure the scientists mean well.”, you began, placing a hand on his shoulder and rubbing it comfortingly, “They wouldn’t go after you for no reason. We just have to be careful, all of us, in times like this. They have to look at all possibilities. I’m sure they’re not just singling you out. It’s been a tough time, and you know it. I’m making enough to get by at my job, you could easily find another one, you’re a bright guy, after all, and, well… if money got tight, we could always move in together. Playboy and I wouldn’t mind sharing our space!”, you removed your hand from Eddie’s shoulder to pick up your kitty compatriot for extra emphasis.

“Alright, alright.”, Eddie chuckled, petting the plump feline’s silky head, “You two are lucky you’re both so darn adorable. But I’m not giving up on my livelihood. They’re having a town hall meeting tomorrow afternoon about it, some big-shot guy’s gonna talk. Maybe you can go with me, see what you think?”

“Of course.”, you smiled fondly, setting Playboy down gently and giving Eddie a kiss upon the lips, “I’ll be there.”


	2. Two Hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie and reader attend the town hall meeting, and revelations are had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how many people are actually reading this fanfiction due to how obscure the character is, but nonetheless I had a lot of fun writing it, despite how long it took due to in real life events. That aside, enjoy!
> 
> Special thanks to moviequotes.com and allreadable.com for providing quotes and transcripts respectively to refresh my memory upon this film. And, of course, a big thanks to all readers, it's much appreciated! :)

The night before the town hall meeting was slated to occur, you had trouble easing your mind to sleep. Alone in your bed, following Eddie’s late-night departure to his own apartment, you tossed and turned with worry. Needless to say, you were unsure of how this town meeting would go over. What if something terrible happened to Eddie? You knew by now how headstrong he could be. Worrying so feverishly about personal troubles amongst a tragedy as grand as this pandemic seemed foolish, and yet, you were always one to fret about such matters. Turning to the alarm clock on your nightstand, the red letters glared out at you: 1:05. While today was your day off from work, you were nonetheless hoping to get in some sleep. A soft movement was felt at your side, jarring you from your harried thoughts momentarily. It was, of course, Playboy, nestled between you and a blanket. You pet your kitty’s silky head, rubbing the velvety fur between his adorable ears. At this, he woke up, peering at you with soft, wide eyes, a purr rumbling in his throat. “What are we going to do, boy?”, you whispered to your feline compatriot, to which he offered the sole response of closing his eyes and drifting back off to sleep the minute the stroking ended. Typical feline. Nonetheless, this seemed to relax you, and you smiled as you shut your eyes, picturing Eddie here, sleeping contentedly, with the two of you.  
You awoke at a somewhat later hour than you usually rise the next morning. Feeling grateful for being well-rested after your moments of panic the night before, you arose and got ready quite quickly. The meeting was at noon, and you were going to meet your boyfriend there. You had only been to the town hall once, but drove by it quite frequently on your way to work, so you had a good idea of where it was… as well as the traffic the drive entailed. Deciding to get a head start on the rush hour, you pat Playboy goodbye and went out to your car.

You were indeed able to (albeit narrowly) miss the loads of traffic you had predicted. You parked a few blocks from the town hall building and began to walk. It was as close as you could get, and, after all, you enjoyed the fresh air on a warm, sunny day as this one. Beginning to whistle a tune, you felt at ease, surprising yourself considering the circumstances that had brought you to this destination.

Midway into your stroll, however, you were jostled from your peaceful thoughts by a pair of hands gripping your shoulders suddenly. You let out a gasp of surprise, whirling around in horror, only to find Eddie looking back at you, a devilish grin upon his visage. 

“You scared me!”, you feigned offense, your hand dramatically upon your chest. Eddie simply laughed, engulfing your still-somewhat-startled form into a warm hug.

“I knew I could count on you to show up.”, your partner motioned for you to follow along with him for the rest of the brief walk to the hall.

“I wouldn’t leave you alone for such a thing.”, you assured, “After all, this is a big deal for the whole community.”

“Yeah, that it is.”, Eddie shook his head, his tone undercut by a slight sigh as the two of you reached the impressive public building, politely propping the door open for your entry.  
The next few hours were comprised of a shockingly large number of people congregating (more than you had expected as a turnout, seeing as you had never attended such an event before), and the rather boring opening remarks of a select few individuals you had never heard of. You and your boyfriend sat together, both seeming equally bored, occasionally exchanging remarks or a knowing smile, leaning comfortably on one another from time to time when sleep seemed imminent.

It was during one of these near-miss-naps that the air in the room changed. A man with somewhat-curled dark brown hair had entered, adjusting his glasses as he clutched a bundle of papers.

“This guy’s the big shot.”, Eddie whispered to you, “Name’s Bill Kraus.”

You nodded, eyes fixated upon the fellow. You were undoubtedly interested in hearing what he had to say. 

The seemingly mild-mannered gent began his speech in a typical manner, introducing himself and his cause, before changing subjects to the more serious focus of the event. This inevitably led to his mentioning of the tracing of the disease to the bathhouses, to which you grit your teeth together, already sensing Eddie’s tense movements.  
Your lover attempted to rise from his seat, in a great rush, already vocal of his complaints, to which you anxiously grabbed his hand, attempting to push him back down to his chair. The last thing you wanted was to cause a scene, and Eddie was, frankly, already garnering looks - even amongst a generally disquieted crowd. He turned to you with a look that flashed across his face of an anger that you had never before seen, one that chilled you to the soul, to which you went silent. As the man beside you gave a great voice to his grievances, you sat sheepishly, glancing at the floor. You couldn’t muster the courage to support him, as much as you loved your boyfriend, you couldn’t deny the evidence against his choice of business. You hadn’t expected it to drive such a wedge between the two of you.

Moments after his outburst, Eddie got up from his seat, to which you followed him as he stalked out of the impressive municipal building. He kept his head low, avoiding all eye contact as you joined his side. You glanced upwards at the metropolitan architecture that formed the city’s stark outline against the now-darkening sky, attempting to get your mind off the recent ordeal.

“You didn’t have me back in there.”, Eddie at last broke the silence with a sneering sentence, “You could’ve spoke up, y’know.”

“I’m sorry.”, you murmured, “I… I should’ve said something.”, you swallowed your pride against your better judgment, not wanting to anger your already peeved partner furtherly.

“Darn right you should’ve.”, he grumbled, remaining silent for the duration of the walk back to your apartment.

Eventually, the pair of you arrived back at home. The silence remained uncomfortable as you opened your apartment door, Eddie shuffling in, as if he was unsure if he was welcome to stay. Playboy peered up from where he had been napping upon the couch, feline eyes narrowed drowsily, seeming to sense the tension. You removed your shoes and coat and sat down beside your cat with a heavy sigh. Eddie watched from afar before tentatively joining you two.

“Alright, look. On our walk here, I did some thinking.”, Eddie took a deep breath, “I shouldn’t’ve yelled at you. Nor should I have lost my temper. ‘Twas wrong of me.”

“It’s alright.”, you snuggled closer to him, “But I’ll be honest. I think you should shut down the bathhouses. I've been so worried about you since the news broke. At least until this… tragedy has cleared up. We’ll find you another job, and until then, you can mooch off me. I’m sure Playboy won’t mind swapping Fancy Feast for Friskies until we get our full income back.”, you jested, to which Eddie laughed.

“Alright. It wasn’t easy… but I ‘spose you’re right. They’ll be officially closed as of tomorrow… thanks to the one I love most. I… I really don’t know what I’d do without ya, y’know? Guess I should listen to ya more often. If it’s alright, I’ll sleep here tonight, then get my stuff in the morning. I’m rather tired after all that arguing.”, he chuckled, to which you grinned.

He pressed a kiss to your cheek, and you hugged closed into him, enjoying the feeling of warmth you feared would never be present in your life. Knowing many more peaceful moments like this were ahead, you could have stayed there forever, your love at your side, staring out at the sunset from the apartment window, ready to begin the next chapter of your lives together.


End file.
